Improvement in skirt-supporters



PATBNTBD MAY's, 1863.

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UNITED vSTATESV vPATniwr OFFICE;

NORMAN WIARD Ann HEnnMANN SHLARBAUM, or NEW YORK, N; Y.

MPaovEMENT N sKa'r-suPPoa'-Eas.

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To. allwhom it may .concerm 'Be it known that we, Nonmm Wunn and HERRMANN SHLARBAUM, both of the oily, county, and State of New York, have invent-' ed a new and important improvement in sup-- porters to be used temporarily at will for hold-' ing ladies, dresses -at a prope`r elevati'n in,

wet weather and the like. We designate the same a SkirtfSupporten'? and we do hereby declare that the followingiis a full and exact `description of the novelty therein, and that ,it exhibits ando explains the means wherebyf persons of proper-skill, who are familiar with the inventions and practices most nearly allied thereto, may-readily' make and u se the same. f

The accompanying drawings form apart of this specification.

Figure 1 is a general perspective View of several of our skirt supporters attached to a: suitable beltready to be' buckled upon or about the waist. This i s the means by which 'we prefer to suspend our device, and the num-` ber to be attached to ahelt for the purpose of vsustaiuing a givenfldress may vary with the 'dress or with the inclination or convenience of .the wearer. Fig. 2 is a sectionalviewxofa p'ortion of the supporter.

Similar letters of reference designato like parts'in' all the figures.

' We will proceed to describe theiconstruc- 'tion and operation of our devices by the-aidof the drawings.

A'represents an ordinary'blt, and B an ordinary buckle. Holes O O, dto., are. madeinithe lower edge of B and through these are. passed slender cords orl braids D,\whinh may be of any material and size, so long' as they are' of suicient strength to support the weight-,i

of the pendent parts. The ends of 'each cord D are tied or otherwise attach'edkto the` upper ;ends -of two levers, E F, ofthe form represented, 'which are jointed together by a screw or rivet, G, so that they may turn thereon. These parts may be of various materials, but

I prefer German silver, or hrass, or some of the rich alloys known as ormolu or the like, and may be ornaniented in any manner desired. On the inner faces of each of these y arms, at their lower ends, are produced'lip's c e and f f, as represented, and into the circular space between we insert disks or slightlyswelled domes of gum-elastic or rubber, as

shown in the figures. Around the arms E F, a little above these acting-faces, we stretch a bandof rubber, in the manner represented by H, the tendency ofY which is to contract and press the rubber domcs I J, before described, into tight contact with `each other or with any portion of the clothing which may be introduced between them.

'The use of our invention, as already inti-' matod, is tomseize a portion of the skirt and hold it with sufiicent' force to resist the weight and any additional slight forcessuch as conoussionsv and frictions due to ordinary movements-while it will release the same if subjected to any very great force. To insert the clothes properly the wearer has simply to compress together the upper ends of the arms E F with oneihandrwhile she raises and inserts between the faces I J a proper portion ef the skirtte be supported, and then 'releasing the ends of E F allows the faces I J to seize the skirt by thetension ofthe spring` H, and to subsequently sustain it by'the cord 'D in the manner which is obvious, until it shall be released byagain opening the faces i J. The rubber domes in these faces, to form the effective surfaces for holding the clothes,

are by their nature peculiarly adapted-to resist the movement of the skirt through them, except when desired, because the friction of such material under equal` pressures' is far greater than that of` metal or of other ordinary 'material. They are practically smooth, and under the gentle pressure required do not in anywise injure the fabric'of the skirt, 'evenflif applied many times and for long pe riods in the same point, while they hold the dress with a 'pertinacity not, eqnaled by any other practicable material oflike smoothness. The gum we have employed with success in such of these supporters as We have experimented with has been vulea-nized..

We prefer that both the domes I J and the band H shall be vulcanized rubber in a tolerably pure eondition, but believe that any of the-greatly-adulterated compounds usually bought and sold as vulcauized rubber may be used with success for' both purposes.

We apply our band or spring H by slipping it on in au extended state from either end of the instrument, and prevent its slipping too near the joint when the jaws are open by means of the slight projections represented by E' F' We apply the disks or domes I Jcbyi springing them temporaril)1 into a more dish-' extra bands H of various-degrees of stiffness,

so'that the tension may be made adjustable at pleasure. We may, however, produce the device as an article of Atrade without the rubber parts, and allow the consumers or the retuil dealers to -insert the disks I J and to apply the bands H' for themselves. The difi'ereuce in the tastes of purchusers. and; the

manner shown.

weight of dresses make this desirable, and,

the sometimes rapid decay of rubber, even while unused; in a store, makes it desirable not to hold "the articlesin a fully-prepared state for use for years, or even many months, previous to their sale for use. v

Having now fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, i. i--A The new article of manufacture hereindescribed, consisting of hinged levers adapted to be operated by a simple band of elastic mai;-ri.al, held in place on the levers, as represented, and lipped, in order to receive and hold suitable paris to .seize the skirt in the H. SHLARBAUM. NORMAN WIARD.

Witnesses:

Fa. BTTNER, W. S` HENDRIcKsoN. 

